1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic systems for performing automated tests of complex electronic, electromechanical and mechanical equipment and products. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electronic test system with a test results view filter that enables the user to effectively and efficiently select certain test results of an entire test.
2. Statement of the Problem
Complex electronic, electromechanical and mechanical products and equipment are generally tested using automated test systems. Such tests can include validation tests which run through the various operations that the device under test (DUT) is capable of and records whether each operation was performed properly; environmental tests which expose the DUT to various combinations of temperature, pressure, and humidity, and records the results; and production tests, etc. Generally, both the DUT and the systems providing the environmental and other constraints on the DUT are controlled electronically. In the last decade or so, computerized programs which are capable of controlling a variety of automated tests, referred to in the art as xe2x80x9ctest executivexe2x80x9d programs, have been developed.
Test executive programs in the prior art include internal test executive programs developed by Agilent Technologies and TESTSTAND software developed by National Instruments Corporation, which is described as a ready-to-run test executive for organizing, controlling, and executing automated prototype, validation, or production test systems. The prior art Agilent Technologies programs did not use a graphical user interface (GUI), therefore limiting the ability of the program to display large amounts of data in a simple fashion. The TESTSTAND software, while using a GUI, requires the user to scroll through multiple windows to determine the overall progress of a test. The TESTSTAND software showed the results in a spreadsheet that was not easy to analyze. The prior art software at best was limited to showing the results of a given measurement by colored test such as xe2x80x9cpassedxe2x80x9d in blue color, xe2x80x9cskippedxe2x80x9d in yellow color and xe2x80x9cfailedxe2x80x9d in red color. Therefore, it takes significant time to scan textual results to determine what further action is needed. When a test fails, it is usually necessary to examine the details of the test further to find the source of the failure before taking further action. Therefore, it would be highly desirable to have a test executive system in which test results are more easily selected and analyzed.
Tests usually are defined by a set of rules or specifications to which the DUT is compared. The rules or specifications generally comprise various inputs defined by electrical and mechanical parameters applied to the DUT, such as voltage, current, specified manipulations of controls and device parts, as well as environmental parameters under which the test is conducted, such as temperature, humidity, pressure, and the time period over which a parameter is applied. Each test will include many combinations of the parameters applied to each element of the DUT, and often will be repeated many times. Each combination of parameters will define a measurement that results in one or more datapoint values, which are recorded and compared to numerical or Boolean limits defining the specifications. Thus, as equipment and products become more complex, electronic test programs have become very long and complex, often requiring several days, or even a week or more to run a complete test.
In prior art test systems, the test results are displayed on a computer display screen as the test progresses, with the current test conditions and results, or a small portion of the conditions and results just prior to the current time, visible. If the user desires to see the test results which failed to meet a particular test specification limit, such as failed test results, the user scrolls through a display to see which individual test results in a test program failed to meet a particular test specification limit. This can be a lengthy, laborious and error prone means for determining which test results failed to meet a certain test specification limit.
If the user desires to see specific test results, such as failed or marginal test results, from earlier portions of the test, the user scrolls through a lengthy display of all test results manually seeking the desired test results. Because of the length and complexity of the test, it is not physically possible to display the entire report of a test on the screen at one time. At any given point in the scrolling, the user has only a partial view of the results, making it difficult for the user to view certain or particular test results without time consuming and tedious viewing and hand recording.
It would be highly desirable to have a test executive system in which the user could effectively and quickly filter the test results for viewing according to the user""s interests and concern.
3. Solution to the Problem
The above and other problems are solved and an advance in the art is made by an electronic test program with interactive electronic displays in accordance with this invention. A first advantage of this invention is that it allows the user to filter the datapoint values of an entire test procedure by simply selecting a test results view filter option button in the test results view filter. A second advantage of this invention is that the output device displays only those datapoint values that are selectively filtered. A third advantage of this invention is that it allows the user to filter repeatedly and differently the results of a test procedure without having to rerun the procedure. A fourth advantage of this invention is that the datapoint values can be filtered while the test procedure is progressing or after the test procedure has been completed.
The test results view filter enables the user to filter an entire test report by selecting a particular test results view filter option button. This allows the user to save time by immediately selecting datapoint values of interest to the user, such as the datapoint values that failed test specification limits or those datapoint values that marginally met test specification limits. The user does not have to search through the whole listing of datapoint values to determine those datapoint values that failed test specification limits or those datapoint values that met marginal test specification limits.
The test results view filter enables the user to see just the filtered datapoint values. It displays only the filtered datapoint values of interest to the user, thereby leaving the display screen clear of any unwanted or uninteresting datapoint values. The user can effectively and efficiently view the datapoint values that are of interest to them. This alleviates the tedious and laborious task of viewing the entire test procedure display output searching for those datapoint values of interest to them. The user doesn""t have to make notes or record values while scanning an entire test procedure output. The user need only select the test results view filter option button corresponding to the desired datapoint values of interest, and the invention displays just the filtered datapoint values.
The test results view filter enables the user to filter the same set of test procedure datapoint values repeatedly in different filter modes without having to rerun the test procedure. This allows the user to filter all test procedure datapoint values according to a user""s first interest, and then filter subsequently all test procedure datapoint values according to the user""s second interest. The test results view filter is capable of filtering over and over the same set of test procedure datapoint values.
The test results view filter enables the user to filter the datapoint values while the test procedure is running or after the test procedure has completed. The user can select the test results view filter option button corresponding to the datapoint values that the user is interested in prior to the execution of the test procedure and then start the test procedure and have the test results view filter display the selected datapoint values as the test is running, thereby displaying just the filtered datapoint values. The user can also filter the datapoint values according to the user""s interest after the test procedure has completed.
The present invention is an application executed by a processing unit. One skilled in the art will recognize that instructions for the application may be stored in a memory as software instruction, and/or as firmware in a memory affixed to a processing chip. The application of this invention is executed in the following manner. In one embodiment, the user selects a test results view filter option button in the test results view filter corresponding to the datapoint values that the user is interested in viewing. The user starts the test procedure and the output device displays the filtered datapoint values. In another embodiment, the user starts the test procedure and the output device displays all datapoint values and then the user selects the test results view filter option button corresponding to the datapoint values of interest to the user and the output device displays the filtered datapoint values. In a preferred embodiment, the datapoint values are displayed in a dialog box.
The test results view filter option buttons are preferably selected from the group comprising: an all test results view filter option button, a marginal test results view filter option button, a failed test results view filter option button, and a selected test results view filter option button. In a preferred embodiment, the input is selected by the user xe2x80x9cclickingxe2x80x9d or selecting on a particular test results view filter option button representing the desired datapoint filter. For example, the user xe2x80x9cclicksxe2x80x9d or selects the all test results view filter option button and the output device displays all datapoint values performed by the test procedure.
The failed test results view filter option button filters and displays those datapoint values that are associated with a failed datapoint value status because they failed to meet a certain test specification limit. The marginal test results view filter option button filters and displays those datapoint values that are associated with a marginal datapoint value status because they marginally met a certain test specification limit. The all test results view filter option button displays all datapoint values. The selected test results view filter option button filters and displays a particular datapoint value or values.
A test procedure may store at least one test specification limit that is used to compare the datapoint values with which to determine the datapoint value status. For example, the user may wish to view all datapoint values over a certain test specification limit of a test procedure as a failed status, like all results over 1.1 volts. Here the invention will assign a passed datapoint value status to all datapoint values in a test procedure that are less than 1.1 volts. Correspondingly, the invention will associate all datapoint values that are equal to or exceed 1.1 volts with a failed datapoint value status. In addition, the user may wish to know what datapoint values marginally meet a certain test specification limit; for these datapoint values, the invention will associate a marginal datapoint value status.
The datapoint value status is associated to each datapoint value by comparing the datapoint value with at least one stored test specification limit. The invention is capable of storing at least one test specification for determining those datapoint values that fail a test procedure and at least one test specification for determining those datapoint values that marginally meet a test procedure.
The invention provides an electronic test system comprising: a memory for storing a test, a measurement, a datapoint, a datapoint value, and a datapoint value status associated with the datapoint value indicating whether the datapoint value is a passed, marginal, or failed datapoint value; an electronic processor communicating with the memory for controlling the execution of the test; an input device communicating with the electronic processor for selecting between at least two of the following groups of datapoint value statuses: all datapoint values, marginal datapoint values, failed datapoint values or a selected datapoint value; and an output device communicating with the electronic processor for displaying the selected datapoint value and the associated datapoint value status. Preferably, the memory further stores a test results view filter responsive to receiving from tile input device.
Preferably, the electronic test system provides an output device that further displays the test results view filter, and the test results view filter further comprises a plurality of test results view filter option buttons. Preferably, the electronic test system further includes the test results view option buttons which are selected from the group consisting of: all, marginal, fail and selected. Preferably, the electronic test system further includes a test results view option button capable of being highlighted or depressed when selected. Preferably, the electronic test system further includes the all test results view option button that displays to the output device all datapoint values and datapoint value status associated with all datapoint values. Preferably, the electronic test system further includes a marginal test results view option button that displays to the output device the marginal datapoint values and the datapoint value status associated with the marginal datapoint values; this view option may also include the failed datapoint values and value status. Preferably, the electronic test system further includes a failed test results view option button that displays to the output device the failed datapoint values and datapoint value status associated with the failed datapoint value.
Preferably, the electronic test system further comprises a test specification limit and the memory further stores the test specification limit. The preferred electronic test system comprises a test specification limit selected from the group comprised of an upper test specification limit and a lower test specification limit. The electronic test system preferably also provides for the datapoint value to be compared to a test specification limit and a resultant datapoint value status is associated to the datapoint value. The electronic test system, preferably, further includes an output device that further displays the test, the measurement, the datapoint, the datapoint value, the test specification limit, and the datapoint value status.
The present invention not only provides an electronic test program that displays the overall output in a form that can be observed in a glance, but also displays the output in a form which permits the user to quickly check individual results. Other features, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.